by Robert Wilkinson
Today we explore the Superior Conjunction of August 1, 2021 at 10 Leo and what it promises for August, September, and October. This “fusion of life and mind” will impact the rest of the Mercury direct period, as well as the first part of its next retrograde up to the Inferior Conjunction on October 9 at 17 Libra during Mercury’s retrograde between 26 and 11 Libra in late September and most of October.
Of note is that Inferior Conjunction at 17 Libra is the exact degree of the Sun conjunct Mars, setting new cycles into motion at that time with a Mercury retrograde flair! Of course, all previous superior and inferior conjunction points, as well as Mercury’s retrograde and direct stations, are triggered by subsequent transits long after Mercury was there.
As we covered in part 1, the superior conjunction occurs when Mercury (mind) conjuncts the Sun (life) when in direct motion, while the inferior conjunction is when Mercury (mind) conjuncts the Sun (life) when Mercury is retrograde. Each operates as a fusion of Life and Mind, but in each “Mind moves in a different direction.”
When either conjunction happens, it indicates that signals, messages, and ideas from either outer sources or subconscious sources will fuse with the life principle. This sets the tone for the lessons involving how our minds are relating to our lives during the weeks which follow the inferior conjunction.
Since its last retrograde, Mercury in direct motion has been moving faster than the Sun. It has now caught up to the Sun and making a “superior conjunction,” beginning a several week period when mind will race ahead of life, heralding things to come when the Sun transits the span Mercury will show us over the next few weeks. The degree of any superior conjunction shows how our perceptions have caught up with our lives, which can bring forth a new expression of our light.
The Sabian Symbol for the Superior Conjunction
The Solar-Mercurial degree symbol for the Superior Conjunction falls at 10 Leo, and it is said that the first third (decan) of any sign deals with the physical and material levels of life, and being the first decan of Leo it has a sub-influence of Leo with an additional Saturn tone. While I've given you a sense of this degree up to now, this is where we go into depth.
The symbol for the 10th degree of Leo is ”Early morning dew.” According to Rudhyar’s notes from the Marc Jones class, this degree is one of “freshness of spontaneous response to life and emotions,” and “uplifting lightness in experience; or else superficial glamor.”
In The Astrological Mandala, he says this degree is “the exalted feeling that rises within the soul of the individual who has successfully passed through the long night which has tested his strength and his faith.” He offers that “the cold air of night” precipitates “the moisture of our deepest feelings” on our consciousness, where we may be “blessed with the light of significance by the rising sun of the new day. Even tears can be transformed into jewels in the light of victory over night and sorrow.”
He goes on to state that this is the “culmination of the process which began on a note of social and cultural crisis,” and that any reformer has to meet many emotional problems” as they do their work. He says “Creation means transformation,” in the sense that any creator is inspired to transform their creation “open to the spirit that ‘makes everything new.’ He finishes with “The building of a new society, and of one’s renewed personality as well, is just as much a process of artistic creation as the making of a delicate glass vase or a symphony,” and gives us the keyword “Transfiguration.” It is said to fall in the Span of Assurance, and is the culminating degree of the social-cultural level in the Scene of Combustion in the Act of Stabilization.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, states this degree is about “the eternal refreshment which comes to the individual with every recurrent cycle of (our) experience, and of nature’s continual endorsement of (our) aims or benediction of (our) efforts.” He continues “There are unexpected resources which (we) can find at hand when life otherwise may seem to have defeated (us), and these are often revealed despite (our) lack of expectation.”
He reminds us that “we reap real fruit as we develop a genuine alertness to the unexpected and deny all personal limitation.” He offers us the keyword REJUVENATION, and states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is “a special talent for finding the better in every situation where a worse may threaten disaster.”
Given the themes of this degree, we'll use the ”fusion of life and mind” through the next Inferior Conjunction to see the light of a “fresh spontaneity” and “lightness of Being.” This fusion of Life/Light and Mind allows us to reap rewards through unexpected sources, finding rejuvenation by repudiating all needless limitation. In moving forward, we shall understand that we’ve made it through the night, and can now accept our transfiguration in our heart of hearts.
Who Leads the Great Light Now That Mercury is Ahead of It?
At this conjunction, Mind is no longer following Life, trying to catch up to it. Now Mind races forward as herald, catching glimpses of knowledge, perception, and understanding that shows us where Life is headed in the near future.
When Mercury outraces the Sun and moves ahead of it, it no longer "leads the light." Now "Life" leads "Mind" even as Mind blazes the trail the Light will follow these next few weeks. This is the time when we stretch out into the future, with a period of looking back beginning late September at the next Mercury retrograde.
In this chart, since Mercury no longer leads the Sun, for the next week the Moon in its waning phase will be the “entry to the Light.” After the coming New Moon at 17 Leo on August 8, Uranus in Taurus will become the “entry to the Light.” So for a week, be aware of what you’re sensing, what you’re feeling, and the personal relevance to find your Light, and after that, trust that no matter how weird, disruptive, or revolutionary, whatever it is will lead you to illumination after a period of stillness. This will last for several weeks, and shows our “awakening individuality” is the gatekeeper for the Great Light.
So until the next New Moon, the Moon will lead the Sun. After that Uranus will again lead the Sun until the Moon is again between mid-Taurus and the following New Moon at 15 Virgo on September 6. After that, Uranus again resumes its place as gateway to the Light until the second week of October, when two things happen: 1) the Sun conjuncts Mars at 17 Libra, immediately followed by 2) the next Inferior Conjunction of Mercury and the Sun at 17 Libra. Because of their relative speeds, Mars will then lead the Sun until the second week of November when Mercury conjuncts Mars and again leads the light. The study of which planet leads the Sun is a crucial but often overlooked part of the study of how the planets work in sequence.
What’s Ahead?
This Superior Conjunction can fuse foresight and life experience to see how new forms of light, life, and perspectives can come forth these next few weeks. Because this “fusion of life and mind” takes place in the first third of Leo, we enter a time of fulfilling some form of heart energy on social and emotional levels of life.
As Leo is “Solar Fire,” we are offered ways to stabilize our radiant and infinite heart power to create a bonfire of consistent loving connection to “All-That-Is.” Because Leo is associated with the archetype of the King/Queen, the ruling noble, if there’s any question, remember that the ruler is always right in their own realm, and humble and grateful for the love others show us when we’re in their realm.
This will give us a chance to articulate our Light fused with “the Guide of Souls” to find how we can BE the Light we are, expressed in direct focused activities demonstrating how our transfiguration has released us from some form of sorrow. The house this conjunction falls in shows where Mind now leads Life, and will open doors of perception wherever it falls, with many things “coming together in the Light of Mind.
We can now accept “nature’s continual endorsement of (our) aims or benediction of (our) efforts” and find “unexpected resources” even if we’re not expecting them or even looking for them. The fusion of Mind with Life should open ideas about how to “develop a genuine alertness to the unexpected and deny all personal limitation,” leading to a genuine rejuvenation, and “a special talent for finding” the best in situations.
This “fusion of Life and Mind” at 10 Leo sets a platform in the house where this conjunction occurs in our charts. In blending these principles we will see a shift in our affairs, attitudes, and understanding about those things symbolized by Mercury in Leo. There are powerful realizations to be seen in the near future, and though at times this may seem like a “liberating ordeal,” remember it’s all part of the larger transfiguration process in play all this year as we dance at the intersection of Fate Street and Freewill Street on Eternity Boulevard.
The Backdrop to What’s Happening and Major Aspects
At this Superior Conjunction, we have the Sun, Saturn, and Neptune all in their home signs, indicating they share power behind the scenes. Because this conjunction is in Leo, the Sun is the worldly ruler and the Moon is the spiritual ruler. So in this conjunction the Sun is at home, in its power, shining to the entire world.
Because the Sun rules Mercury, it also rules Venus and Mars, and therefore the Moon and Uranus. Saturn in its home sign of Aquarius rules Jupiter, itself and Pluto, and Neptune is the eternal “standalone” global influence on the collective consciousness. That means the coming superior conjunction period is heavily dominated by the Sun and Saturn.
The aspects are a mixed bag, since we have several very tight forming aspects, the most important of which is the almost exact opposition of the conjunction to Saturn. That indicates the “Tension of Opposites” leading us to higher spiritual realizations involves challenges to leave behind lesser things, taking a broader view of the possibilities in front of us, and seeing a new inspiration.
All of this prepares us to take our transfigured Self out into the world. And though wide, this conjunction brings a T-square into play, with powerful energies released into Scorpio zones of the formation of group identities, humanitarian outreaches for those who are beyond their depth, and seeing “the world of the 5 senses and the mind as the playground of God and Soul.”
So this “fusion of Life/Light and Mind” involves an axis of greater awareness with Saturn, coupled with a trine to Chiron implying that if we accept the process of “forced growth,” we’ll find ourselves with a new identity which seems slightly familiar, and the stirring up of new loves based in old karmic returns.
Other aspects of note influencing the next few weeks include the Moon sextile Neptune and trine Pluto, Venus trine Uranus, and Mars tredecile Uranus while biquintile Pluto, setting up an extraordinarily powerful double tredecile 10th harmonic evolutionary configuration of VERY good luck and interactive gifts and blessings for those impacted. Zones include areas around 1-5 Virgo/Pisces, 7-11 Libra/Aries, 13-17 Scorpio/Taurus, 19-23 Sagittarius/Gemini, and 25-29 Capricorn/Cancer.
The Lunar Influence
The Moon is at 21 Taurus for this conjunction. That means the focus is on looking for what’s relevant in the world you find yourself in, seeing what’s meaningful and what of the past is not. Sharpen your “spiritual discrimination,” and see to the core of things, allowing your connection with collective consciousness to guide you to the simple and clear understanding of Taurus.
As it falls in the third decan of Taurus, it takes on a Capricorn subtext with an augmented Saturn influence. As it’s a Third Quarter Moon phase, it indicates the next few weeks are a period of becoming future oriented as we build the ideas and groups needed to incorporate future ideals into current structures. Try not to be too forceful as you demonstrate the spiritual principles behind worldly affairs, as well as broad social processes.
Summing Up
This superior conjunction will show us that we’ve “made it through the night,” and have great heart strength at our disposal to be used to assist the growth of a greater future. Get a new inspired look at things, participate in the shared feelings leading to a “group personality emergence,” and remember this world and all you see is truly “the playground of God and Soul.”
Because this is Life and Mind fusing in Leo, see it all as a Divine Play, or Divine Dance, teaching us skill as we find the right attitude for what’s leaving as we transform our lives. A new spiritual work is already in motion, and this period should be good for making small but needed adjustments to correct our course. Recent oppositions produced social awareness; coming oppositions will focus our ability to release all which inhibits our transfigured Self from its natural expression.
From here, even though Mercury will outrace the Sun for the next few weeks, it’s going to begin to slow down in speed, and will go retrograde on September 27 at 26 Libra, beginning a time of review and reflection on the 26 Libra theme of this year involving the alternating use of “hard power” vs “soft power,” mind and heart, will and love. This year all the retrogrades give us a review in the late Air areas of our charts, and resume forward motion in the middle degrees of the Air signs.
All significant Mercury events give us a chance to check in with our inner Mercury to make sure we’re listening to its knowledge so we may be guided to our Souls. By how our Mercury works, we are led to the “Active Intelligence” of Divine Mind, or scattered confusion because of the lower mind’s inability to know anything.
As I explained in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, Mercury’s duality is “Life/Death,” so we can get a new look at how our consciousness and responses are either creative, destructive, or both, to cite the venerable Kabalistic Arhat Paul Foster Case. Mercury is where we learn if our mental processes are creating chaos and disorganized scattered conditions through ambivalence, and thus come to see how to use discernment to coordinate various functions to bring forth perfect knowing how to do whatever needs to be done. Understanding its influence as a factor for weeks to come is crucial to the smooth operation of what moves forward from here.
Because we’ll be dealing with Mercury retrograde energies beginning September 6 when it enters its shadow zone beginning at 11 Libra, you should also take a look at the appropriate chapters in my book A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. You can find out all you need about the coming Mercury Retrograde in Libra, or any other sign, as well as the houses it occupies in your chart. Of course I'll give you a lot more about the coming retrograde in late September.
Here's the Amazon link to where you can order your paperback edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. You can also find it on Kindle or Nook. It’s a great reference source where you can check out possible ways the coming Mercury retrograde effect could play out between September and November 2021.
Copyright © 2021 Robert Wilkinson
Comments